BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — Vice President JD Vance will visit Nucor in Berkeley County this Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s effort to spotlight American manufacturing during its first 100 days in office, according to a White House press release.
Vance will be joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin for a tour of the facility. Nucor, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the largest steel manufacturer and recycler in North America.
The visit comes just over two months after President Donald Trump reimposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, a central component of his administration’s “America First” trade policy.
Both Vance and Zeldin are expected to deliver remarks at the site, underscoring what the administration describes as a “manufacturing renaissance”—a key pillar of Trump’s 2024 campaign and a recurring theme during his early weeks back in office.
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Industry leaders have welcomed the administration’s trade moves. Earlier this month, Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association—the largest steel industry group in North America—praised the renewed tariffs as a catalyst for job growth and domestic investment.
“President Trump is a champion of the domestic steel industry, and his America First Trade Policy is designed to fight the unfair trade that has harmed American workers and weakened U.S. manufacturing,” Bell said in a statement. “The recently reinvigorated 232 steel tariffs have already started creating American jobs and bolstering the domestic steel industry.”
Bell also credited the original 2018 tariffs and tax cuts under Trump’s first term with triggering nearly $20 billion in new investment by U.S. steel producers.
However, not all voices in the business community agree.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce—the largest business organization in the world—has expressed concern that the newly imposed tariffs could hurt more than help, calling them broader and potentially more damaging than those enacted in 2018.
“These tariffs will lead to higher costs for American businesses and consumers, and fewer exports for American companies,” said John G. Murphy, Senior Vice President for International Policy at the Chamber.
The Trump administration maintains that the tariffs are necessary to level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers by countering years of what it sees as unfair foreign trade practices, including tariff disparities and non-tariff barriers.
